Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
District 55 Superintendent Larry Horton was given almost perfect marks by the School Board on his annual evaluation.
The board completed its evaluation of the superintendent at its regular meeting on June 11 and extended his rolling three-year contract.
On a scale of 0-4, Horton received an average ranking of about 3.6 or 3.7.
His lowest marks were in the area of curriculum development, which is a nebulous criterion on the evaluation form.
“He did very well,” Chairman Mike Reynolds said, even better than last year.
“We’re very happy,” he said. “I think he’s doing a great job. I think he’s easy to talk to.”
Horton believes district employees have no problems bringing things to him, Reynolds said. Whenever the board needs something, Horton makes it available.
Horton, who has been district superintendent since 2002 after coming to Sweet Home from Oakridge, said he appreciated the support the board has shown.
“I was very pleased with my results,” he said. “They rolled over my three-year contract, and I greatly appreciate that.
Part of his evaluation deals with curriculum, Horton said. He hires a curriculum director, but there is always a question on whether he directly deals with curriculum or simply oversees the curriculum director.
He always gets marked down on that area, Horton said, because of the way the question is set up.
That’s the only weak area on his evaluation, he said.
That area is the only place where the board had any concern, Reynolds said. The district has a curriculum director, so some board members might wonder why it even evaluates him on curriculum.
“Other than that, he’s excellent when it comes to negotiations, interacting with the unions,” Reynolds said. He has been busy this past year with discipline issues, so he’s not sure if Horton has been able to get out into the classrooms as much as he would normally like.
“My strongest area is leadership,” Horton said. That involves negotiations and staff issues as well as community involvement.
As far as curriculum, he has someone capable doing that, he said.
“We’re happy to have him,” said Reynolds, who recently won a new four-year term on the board. “I’m hoping he’ll be here at least my next four years.”
Horton said he feels “very postive about the direction we’re headed.”
The district recently learned about $200,000 more available for the 2007-08 school year, he said, and the administration is going to prioritize how to spend that money, what programs to bring back or add.
After recent lean years, this is a good sign, he said, and may pave the way for the expansion of things such as the “enrichment program” at Crawfordsville.
“We’re looking at how can we do a little more enrichment in all the elementary schools,” he said. That includes a variety of activities, ranging from music to physical education.
The district reduced its teaching force by two for the next school year, one position at Oak Heights and one at Foster, Horton said. He plans to bring one position back at Foster to help reduce class size, and he may increase instructional assistant time at Oak Heights.
He is excited about the new reading program that’s starting with high school freshmen, he said. It will grow through all grades as the freshmen move through high school, integrating reading into all curriculum areas.
He hopes to hire a reading coach at the high school level, a position that also will help at the junior high.
The new alternative outdoor education program is up and running, he said, and the district will look at it this summer and decide whether to keep it next year.
“I was pleased when I went out and spent some time with them,” Horton said.
Some students have difficulty learning in four-wall classrooms, and have difficulty graduating, Horton said. This program takes the classroom out to the woods and gives them a chance.
Horton also is excited about board member Ken Roberts’ research into ways to help teach all students, such as those who have a hands-on learning style. Oakridge School District, where Horton was previously superintendent, has several hands-on laboratories in several areas, such as rocketry, computer-assisted drafting and publishing. Oakridge is a shrinking district and has offered the labs to Sweet Home at a low cost.
He also is looking at more opportunities to expand the collaboration between School District 55 and Linn-Benton Community College.
The district also is adding a new school resource police officer, he said, and that officer, John Trahan, will be a benefit to the whole district.
“There’s a lot of positives going on,” Horton said. “It’s so easy to focus on the negatives. I’m sitting here with a feeling of excitement after five years, after a really tough year where we’ve had some real challenges.”
The positives are flowing so well, he said, “I think Sweet Home will be happy with the continuing improvements. There’s some challenges, no doubt, but I am feeling very inspired.”